The present invention concerns a retraction device for retracting a movably supported furniture part into the closed end position relative to a furniture carcass. The device includes an entrainment member which can be releasably coupled to the movable furniture part and which is supported movably along an at least portion-wise linear displacement path, and at least one spring device for applying force to the entrainment member. The spring device can be stressed by way of a spring holder separate from the entrainment member.
In addition, the invention concerns a drawer extension guide and an article of furniture having a retraction device of the kind to be described.
Retraction devices of that kind (known, for example, from EP 0 391 221 B1 to the present applicant) are used in particular with drawers or sliding doors which are freely displaceable over a large part of their extension region and engaged by the entrainment member of the retraction device only towards the end of the closing movement, and are pulled securely and reliably into the closed end position by spring force. The movable furniture part is thus pulled into the furniture carcass automatically without further application of force by the user and is held there with a predetermined closing force. That last portion of the closing movement can be damped by an additional damping device so that a gentle closing process can be achieved without annoying impact sounds. Upon opening of the movable furniture part, the user firstly has to apply a force against the spring resistance of the retraction device, by pulling, until after a predetermined distance the entrainment member is uncoupled from the movable furniture part and is moved into a prestressed parking position in which the spring remains in a stressed readiness position so that in the next closing process the movable furniture part can be pulled in again. For a user, uncoupling of the entrainment member in the opening movement for the drawer frequently makes itself noticeable with a jerky movement as, as a consequence of the sudden spring separation force, the drawer is now freely movable and is accelerated unduly towards the user by virtue of the previously exerted pulling force.
Retraction devices in accordance with the classifying portion of claim 1 are described for example in WO 2009/132626 A1 and in EP 1 470 769 A1. In those structures, there are an entrainment member and a spring holder separate therefrom, in which case however the force of the spring device abruptly ceases when the entrainment member is parked into the prestressed parking position. Thus, the drawer is accelerated in the opening direction.
FIG. 15a and FIG. 15b diagrammatically show two different retraction devices 8 according to the state of the art. FIG. 15a shows a linearly displaceable slider 16 on which an entrainment member 12 is supported tiltably about an axis of rotation 15. The entrainment member 12 which is in the form of a tilting segment is supported displaceably along a linear displacement path 10 by way of two guide elements 13 and can be moved into a tilted position towards the end of the extension movement into a curved or angled portion 11 so that the coupling element 14 of the drawer 3a can be uncoupled. In FIG. 15a the spring device is articulated on the linearly displaceable slider 16 while in FIG. 15b the spring device 17 directly engages the tiltably mounted entrainment member 12.
FIG. 17 shows a further embodiment of a retraction device 8 according to the state of the art, the spring device 17 directly engaging the tiltably mounted entrainment member 12.